


As Long As You Love Me

by AlbusGellertAlways



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon Gay Relationship, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Good Albus Dumbledore, Good Gellert Grindelwald, M/M, Summer Vacation, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:28:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21860182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlbusGellertAlways/pseuds/AlbusGellertAlways
Summary: Will Albus accept Gellert when he confesses the real reason why he was expelled from Durmstrang or will he leave Gellert forever?
Relationships: Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald
Comments: 8
Kudos: 58





	As Long As You Love Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Litsetaure](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Litsetaure/gifts).



> A/N: Happy Christmas, litsetaure! Thank you so much for all your amazing presents. I will treasure each one. You are so amazing and talented at crafts. I love that you are my roleplay partner and we have fun every day. You are the Gellert to my Albus 😉 You always set me up for success and you’re understanding when I forget something that already happened or Albus says something out of turn. Probably ten times a day AT LEAST I get super excited by something you’ve said and it’s just so perfectly in character or humorous and yeah. You’re the best.  
> I hope you enjoy this little story about Grindeldore and unconditional love.

Disclaimer: JKR owns it.

_.~._

_As Long As You Love Me_

.~.

 _Godric’s Hollow, June 1899_  
  
Albus and Gellert were lounging on the worn navy blue couch in Bathilda’s parlor, with Albus’ arm draped protectively around Gellert as they read their respective books. The peeling upholstery tickled Gellert’s bare feet, as he often went without shoes during the summer. All the cooling charms in the world and open windows couldn’t prevent the blanket of hot stickiness from invading the old house. Both boys had removed their shirts, due to the hot weather, or so they claimed.

Usually, Gellert enjoyed the closeness between them but today a knot had formed in his stomach, preventing him from relaxing. He’d spent an incredible week with Albus, baring his soul (and more) to the brilliant boy next door, but he could no longer withhold a certain piece of information that he’d skirted around. Albus deserved to know how fucked up he was before they went any further. _If_ they went any further. Gellert doubted that Albus would want anything to do with him after he shared his story. Before he could stop himself, the words tumbled out of his mouth.

“Albus, I need to tell you something,” Gellert said in a rush.  
  
“Alright, love.” Albus looked up from his ancient text and beamed at Gellert. 

Gellert swallowed hard. How he was going to miss that bright smile. “You deserve to know why I really was expelled from Durmstrang.”  
  
Albus set his book aside and squeezed Gellert’s shaking right hand. “I’m listening.”  
  
Tears filled Gellert’s eyes as his body tensed, poised to spring in case he needed to flee. “You’re going to hate me.”  
  
“I could never hate you,” Albus insisted. “Not after all we’ve shared together.”  
  
Gellert took a deep breath and slowly let it out before he spoke. “So... the official reason was that I was conducting dark experiments. The real reason is much worse.” Gellert looked Albus directly in the eye before confessing, “I killed one of my classmates.”  
  
Albus nodded seriously but didn’t pull his hand away.  
  
“Aren’t you going to leave?” Gellert asked, barely managing to keep his voice steady.  
  
Albus shook his head. “No. I imagine you must have a good reason for what you did. Let me hear it all before I make any judgments.”  
  
“Very well.” Gellert was grateful for the chance to explain his behavior, as he wanted Albus to know the specifics. “The boy I killed was Mykew Gregorovitch Jr., my roommate. You might’ve heard of his famous father by the same name.”

“The wandmaker,” said Albus. “Yes, I’ve definitely heard of him.”

Gellert nodded. “Mykew Gregorovitch Jr. had lived his whole life in his father’s shadow. He had no friends as he had a reputation of being unnecessarily cruel. The students were even more afraid of him than they were of me, the mad Seer. He was dangerously unstable but the teachers didn’t want to send him to a hospital because his father gave generously to the school in his son’s name. Gregorovitch tried to kill me a few times when I was sleeping but I always stopped him in time.”  
  
“What? That’s awful!” Albus gasped, covering his mouth with his hands. “Did you report him?”  
  
Gellert shrugged. “There was no point. The headmaster wouldn’t have believed me. Back to Gregorovitch. I’d had several visions about him. One was very clear. He wrote a manifesto letter about his plan to bring death and destruction to the school and then went on a killing rampage. Another was that, when he was older, he traveled to Berlin and started killing people at random. He thought himself invincible because he’d stolen the Elder Wand from his father.”  
  
Albus’ eyes lit up for a moment. “You found the Elder Wand and you didn’t tell me? Do you still have it?”

Gellert shook his head. “No, the school confiscated it and returned it to its owner. Albus, _really_. I’m trying to explain my crime.” A small part of him dared to hope that Albus might forgive him if he was so easily distracted but Gellert quickly squashed it.

“Right.” Albus blushed before motioning for Gellert to go on.  
  
Gellert continued, “One day I found Gregorovitch in our room writing the same manifesto letter that I’d seen in my vision. I knew what he was about to do, so I drew my wand. I quickly disarmed him and thus became the master of the Elder Wand. As I stared him down, I knew I had a choice. I could stun Gregorovitch and hope that he wouldn’t do it again. Or I could kill him and make certain he’d never kill anyone in the future. I chose the latter. I knew that, if given the chance, he would kill again. The rumor around school was he was conceived while his mother had his father under a potent love spell. Oftentimes such children grow up to be psychopaths, and he was no exception.

Soon after I killed him, I was in a horrible state. The headmaster and several of my professors found me in my room rocking back and forth on the floor next to Gregorovitch’s body. Naturally, they assumed I did it out of cold blood.”

“But what about Gregorovitch’s note?” Albus frowned. “Wouldn’t that implicate him?”

“Unfortunately, Gregorovitch didn’t finish or sign the note before I disarmed him, although he did outline that he was going to kill as many students as possible. That was a lack of foresight on my end. Anyway, thanks to the note, it looked like _I_ was the one who’d been planning an attack on the school. 

I was charged with murder but Headmaster Karkaroff didn’t want Gregorovitch’s father to find out the truth so his son’s death was ruled as an accident and I was expelled two weeks later under false charges. Aunt Bathilda was the only one of my extended family who would take me in… so here I am.” Gellert’s hand shook as he yanked it away and stood up, anguish etched onto his youthful face. “So now you know the truth. Well, it was nice while it lasted. I’ll always remember our time together, Albus. Goodbye.”  
  
But Albus grabbed his hand before Gellert could flee to the safety of his bedroom. “Wait.”  
  
“Albus, l-let me go,” Gellert stammered. “Don’t make this harder on me than it already is.”

“No. I won’t lose you,” Albus said firmly.

Gellert’s heart broke at Albus’ words. Why was Albus making this so difficult for him? “I shouldn’t be around you any longer. I will only infect you with darkness. I cannot be responsible for dimming the light that burns so brightly in you.”  
  
“I have the same darkness lurking within me. You know that,” Albus whispered as he gently pulled Gellert back down to sit next to him. “Stay with me. Please.”  
  
Gellert didn’t understand Albus’ reaction. “You don’t want me to leave? Even after hearing what I did?”

“I don’t.”

“But…” Gellert trailed off, his head spinning as he tried to comprehend what was happening. “Albus, I thought for sure once you heard the truth, you’d run.”

“You thought wrong. Come here.” Albus opened his arms and Gellert fell into them, knocking them back against the couch pillows.

“B-but I’m a horrible person. I’m a murderer.” Chest heaving, Gellert quietly sobbed on Albus’ shoulder. He could scarcely believe that Albus still wanted to be with him after his damning revelation.   
  
“Shh, it’s alright,” Albus soothed as he carded his fingers through Gellert’s messy curls. After several minutes, Gellert finally settled down. “You were faced with a difficult choice and I ultimately believe you made the right one.”  
  
“You do?” Gellert sniffed, looking up at Albus in reverent awe as if he was Merlin himself.

“Oh yes. My favorite professor believed that sometimes you have to take certain actions for the greater good for all involved, even if they are drastic. I happen to agree with her. In this case, you prevented who knows how many future murders.”  
  
“But not all my visions come true,” Gellert reminded him, still shaking a bit. He exhausted from his outburst. “I could’ve been too hasty by killing him.”  
  
“You weren’t,” said Albus. “He already wrote the note. Events were already set in motion. You knew what he was about to do and you acted. Thank you so much for telling me, darling. I know how much it was weighing on you.”

“I was certain you’d leave.” Gellert smiled through his tears. “But you didn’t.”

“No. I wouldn’t leave you. Not now, not ever. I don’t care who you are or what you did, as long as you love me.” Albus gently caressed Gellert’s wet cheek and wiped away his tears. “You know, I wanted to share with you some information I found about how we could bind ourselves together, so you’d never have to worry again that I might leave you. Apparently, blood pacts are-”  
  
“Albus, we’ve only known each other for a week.” Gellert gave hysterical laugh. “Isn’t making a blood pact a little hasty?”  
  
“Is it?” Albus countered. “Do you think you’ll ever find someone that you’d rather be with than me? Because if so, you’re right - we shouldn’t take such a step.”  
  
“I won’t want someone else, no,” Gellert said with conviction. “I just think you could find someone better than me. I don’t want to shackle you to me when you have so many other opportunities. Blood pacts have serious consequences if one person strays or tries to break it. I can’t ask you to be tied to me for life.”  
  
“What if I _want_ to be tied to you for life?” Albus said quietly.   
  
“You really mean that.” Gellert was filled with a pleasant surge of warmth as Albus pulled him close, burying his face in Gellert’s hair.

“I do. I want it, more than anything.”  
  
Gellert was utterly stunned by Albus’ declaration. How did he deserve such a forgiving person? Why had Albus chosen him when he could have anyone? “We can keep researching blood pacts, but I think we should wait a few weeks to make one and see if we both still feel the same.”  
  
“I suppose that’s the responsible thing to do,” Albus lamented. “But I don’t want to wait that long.”  
  
Gellert shook his head and chuckled as Albus brought their foreheads together, their hot breaths intermingling. “You’re truly a wonder, Albus Dumbledore. I can’t believe you’re mine. Just hold out for a few weeks and if you still want to perform the ritual, we can.”  
  
“Oh, thank you, Gell! I’ll be counting down the days,” Albus vowed before Gellert sealed their promise with a sweet kiss.

In that one beautiful moment, Gellert had never been happier.

.~.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Sorry about the Backstreet Boys lyric, it just fit perfectly. Thanks for the comments and kudos!


End file.
